Chicken farmers sued for not paying debts

Chicken farmers sued for not paying debts

Associated Press, Hanoi, Vietnam

Two chicken farmers in Vietnam have been sued for failing to
pay their debts after a deadly bird flu outbreak forced them to
destroy their poultry stocks, in the country's first reported
lawsuit related to the disease.

Lu Kim Cuong, an animal feed seller, said Monday in a
telephone interview that he filed a suit against farmers Phung
Ngoc Phuong and Ho Huu Phuoc, after the men failed to pay a total
of 259 million dong (US$16,000).

The three men failed to reach a settlement last week, said
Nguyen Huu Tri, head of the Cho Gao District People's Court in
Tien Giang province, some 100 kilometers (62 miles) southwest of
Ho Chi Minh City.

He said another out-of-court settlement session is planned and
the case would be brought to a civil court if the three failed to
reach a compromise. It was the first lawsuit stemming from bird
flu reported by state-controlled media.

International agricultural and finance officials have warned
that the recent avian influenza outbreak across Asia could make
small-time farmers destitute, after they were forced to slaughter
their birds to control the disease. More than 38 millions were
culled in Vietnam, where 12 people died after the virus jumped to
humans.

Phuong said he had to kill his 17,000 chickens worth 900
million dong ($57,000) in January. He said he has other debts
totaling nearly 300 million dong ($19,000) and has threatened to
kill himself at the court hearing if the ruling is in Cuong's
favor.

"I've lost everything," said Phuong, 55. "Now I have to work
for other people to make our daily ends meet."

Phuoc, the other farmer, was not immediately available for
comment.